And Baby makes Six
by Rivan Warrioress
Summary: Sequel to Day of Reckoning, so read that first. Two years have passed since the birth of Stiles and Derek's pups, and Stiles is once again pregnant. It's hard to tell who is looking forward to the new arrival the most, Stiles, Derek, their five two year olds, or the rest of the pack. A/B/O verse, mpreg, and graphic childbirth, you have been warned. Disclaimer: I own nothing.
1. Chapter 1

The first thing Stiles was aware of as he sluggishly woke up was the slight squeaking noise of the door that led into his and Derek's bedroom. Somebody was coming into the room. Stiles frowned, straining his ears for any sound, keeping still and keeping his breaths deep and even, giving the illusion that he was still asleep. He concentrated on keeping his heart rate steady, not allowing it to accelerate in response to the fear building in the back of his mind.

"Shhh" a young voice hissed, "we'll get in trouble if we wake Daddy up."

Stiles' frown immediately turned into a smile at the sound of his youngest daughter's voice. Lydia was the bossiest of his five children, but she was also generally the voice of reason, the one most likely to talk the others out of whatever shenanigans they had planned.

The door creaked again, before clicking shut, and Stiles hears a scuffed footstep, followed by another, getting closer to the bed. He didn't move as he deft the bed dip slightly on Derek's side as somebody (Stiles was willing to bet Scott or Jackson) climbed up onto the bed. Keeping his eyes shut, Stiles rolled over, pretending he had only just woken up at the movement on the bed.

'Derek?" he mumbled sleepily, "Is that you?

"Uh oh" a small voice whispered and Stiles opened his eyes, unable to resist the desire to look at his children. Sitting on the edge of the bed on Derek's side was Scott, his eyes wide and fearful. From where he lay Stiles couldn't see his other children, none of them were tall enough to be seen over the bed.

"Hey buddy, you okay?" Stiles reached out his right hand, and Scott crawled closer, cuddling up against Stiles as best he could.

"Papa said not to wake you if you were having a sleep, but we wanted to spend time with you," Scott explained softly. Stiles kissed the top of Scott's messy brown hair. He wasn't surprised, to be honest. The pups were still young enough that they relied heavily of stiles for reassurance and comfort, and it didn't take much to send them scurrying to his side. Derek had only been trying to help Stiles when he'd told their children not to boether Stiles when he was sleeping, but Stiles preferred it when he was surrounded by his children…e slept better when they were there…especially when Derek wasn't in the house.

"I'll deal with Papa. Come on up, guys,"

Stiles watched as his four remaining children climbed up on the bed, far better at climbing than human two year olds ever would be.

"Are you okay, Daddy?" Isaac asked, his stuffed toy wolf clutching in his hand.

"Of course I am, buddy, come here." Stiles smiled. It was all the encouragement not only Isaac, but the others needed, and they all crawled over the bed to him, snuggling against him wherever they could, Scott moving to give his younger sibling more room, although he made sure that he still was touching Stiles.

Isaac's head was resting on Stiles' outstretched arm, almost on his shoulder, his curly hair brushing against Stiles' face. Of all of the pups, Isaac was the most like Stiles as a child, shy and anxious and eager to please anyone. He was the one that had the most difficulty being away from Stiles, and Isaac was the one who wanted the most hugs and physical contact with Stiles and Derek. Stiles' dad had once joked that the reason Isaac had been the last born had nothing to do with his position within Stiles' womb, but more because he hadn't wanted to leave Stiles. Stiles' stepmother Melissa had laughed and added that she was certain that Isaac was so much like Stiles and was so affectionate and eager to be loved because he'd spent the majority of the pregnancy being jammed into Stiles' ribcage, as close to Stiles' heart as anyone could get.

Logically Stiles knew that Isaac's position in the womb had nothing to do with his personality, but he had still appreciated the comment. Tilting his head, he pressed a kiss to the forehead of his youngest child.

"I love you, Isaac, he whispered, and a content smile spread across the toddler's face as he snuggled closer to Stiles.

Stiles' thoughts turned to the next of his children curled up on his body. Isaac was practically spooning Scott, with Scott's head resting on the bed, right against Stiles' side, his ear pressed against Stile's chest. Stiles knew that Scott was listening to his heartbeat, it was something Scott did whenever he and Stiles were hugging, reassuring himself that Stiles was alive and healthy.

Deep down, Stiles knew it was a subconscious behaviour spurned by Scott's desire to protect his pack. As Derek's firstborn, Scott was destined to become the next Hale Alpha if Derek was killed, and it showed in the toddler's behaviour. Both Deaton and Peter had commented that the fact that Scott was showing alpha behaviours at such a young age was an indication that he was going to be a good alpha once he had grown up. It had pleased Stiles to hear it, but he didn't want Scott to be pressured. He might be a good alpha for his pack one day, but for the moment he was Stiles' pup, his loyal, funny little pup.

Considering he was supposed to be the alpha of his pack, Stiles found it ironic and deeply amusing that Scott was the one that reminded Stiles the most of an actually puppy, even when he was in his human form, bouncing around in a perpetual state of excitement. He was loyal and protective of his siblings, and he was the most generous two year old Stiles had ever had the pleasure of meeting. Scott was always giving his toys to his siblings, making sure their needs were met before his own.

Peter had once commented that Derek had been the same way as a child, before the fire, but he hadn't expected Scott, as the one destined to become the next alpha, to have inherited those particular traits.

The thing was, though, that Scott didn't need to assert his dominance over his siblings. Instinctively they all looked up to him and regarded him as their alpha, even though Scott wasn't even alpha of the actual pack yet. Derek, of course, was the pups actual alpha, but between themselves Scott was undoubtedly the leader.

Stiles moved his arm, careful not to disturb Isaac, and played with Scott's messy dark hair, and Scott leaned into the touch, letting out a soft humming noise that was almost a purr.

"Love you, Daddy," Scott whispered

"I love you too, Scotty. Get some rest, nap time isn't over yet." Stiles replied, a glance at his watch telling him that the pups usually would still sleep for another hour or so.

Lydia was the next in the line, facing Scott and looking up towards Stiles' face. Like Scott, she had her head resting on the bed, tucked against Stiles' body, her small hand fisted around the hem of Stiles' t-shirt. A small, contented smile was on her face, her strawberry blonde hair falling out of the pigtails that Stiles had put it in that morning. Smirking, Stiles caught Lydia's eye and poked his tongue out. Lydia's scandalized look in response was identical to the exasperated look Derek often wore back when the rest of the pack were all in high school.

Of Derek and Stiles' children, Lydia was already the most academic. She loved asking question and figuring out how the world around her worked. Stiles' dad laughed madly for a good thirty minutes solid one afternoon as he watched Stiles get interrogated by Lydia, explaining afterwards that Stiles had been exactly the same at about the same age.

For the moment, though, Lydia seemed to be content being quiet and still, blinking sleepily as she gazed at Stiles.

"We'll look after you Daddy," she told Stiles, resolve and determination in her voice. Stiles smiled and nodded; when Lydia spoke it was always with utter confidence and conviction, like she could bend the world to her will. Stiles loved how confident his youngest daughter was, deep down it made him feel that, as she got older, she wouldn't let her actions be decided by others. She wouldn't let herself be picked on or bullied or made to feel inferior like Stiles had in his teenaged years.

"Of course you will, you're my little warrior princess."

Lydia beamed at the nickname, her grip on Stiles' shirt tightening as she clenched her fists in excitement, before she relaxed and snuggled down into the soft blankets covering the bed.

The next child along, Stiles could see when he lifted his head, was Jackson, his head resting on Stiles' thigh, his hand reached out and touching Lydia's back. All of the pups were close, but Jackson and Lydia were especially close, never far from one another's side.

As much as Scott reminded Stiles of a puppy, Jackson never had, not in his human form at least. Jackson had been the first of the pups to both crawl and walk, and even now was the one to take the biggest physical risks, like the day he managed to climb the whole way up a nine foot high book case, and then jumped off, aiming for the couch. Stiles was just grateful that all of his pups were werewolves, and that their broken bones healed quickly. Within a few days Jackson was back on his feet racing around with his brothers and sisters, but Stiles had nearly had an heart attack when he saw Jackson jump that day.

Outwardly, Jackson was the most independent of the pups, the first to move away from the legs of his parents in an unfamiliar situation, and the least likely to voluntarily seek out special attention, but Stiles knew his children. He could see how Jackson looked for reassurance, and he gave it readily…and Jackson never protested when Stiles picked him up and hugged him close and encouraged his efforts and showered him with love and affection.

As much as Jackson loved being fussed over by Stiles, his favourite person in the world was Derek, and nothing made him happier than being tossed up into the air by his papa, if his squeals of laughter were anything to go by. As far as other adults were concerned, Jackson was downright distrustful of anyone outside the pack, and even regarded outlying members of the pack like the Argents and Deaton with caution. It was like Jackson knew that his family had been betrayed in the past, and he was frightened it was going to happen again. As far as Stiles knew nobody had told the pups about the fire that nearly wiped out their father's entire family, and the events leading up to it, but Jackson already seemed to know that something bad had happened in the past.

At the moment Jackson was busy running his fingers through Lydia's silky hair, his eyes half lidded as he fought against the urge to fall asleep again. Stiles smiled at Jackson's stubbornness, knowing that with Stiles and Derek as parents, it was impossible for the pups to escape a certain degree of stubbornness.

"Go to sleep, Jackson, I'm not going to let anything happen to them," Stiles said in a soft voice. Jackson lifted his head, looking up at Stiles, a smile spreading it's way across his face, before he rested his head back on Stiles' leg,

The last in the line was Cora, and Stiles found it ironic that she and Jackson were lying so peacefully together. If Stiles heard the pups arguing, or was told about it, it was a very safe to assume that it was Cora and Jackson. Even though they had both inherited the majority of their traits from Derek, they still spent a lot of time fighting and arguing. As children Laura and Derek, apparently, been very similar and fought a lot as well, up until Derek turned eleven or thereabouts, so Stiles hoped that Cora and Jackson would grow out of it too.

Of the pups, Cora had been the first to learn to talk, which had caused some amusement at the time considering how much like Derek she was in both looks and personality. Cora was easily the most like Derek of the pups. From a young age some of her facial expressions reminded Stiles strongly on ones that Derek used. Cora, however, was far more relaxed and cheerful then Derek was, and Stiles was reasonably sure that Cora already had better people skills than Derek, although he had to concede that fatherhood had improved that aspect of Derek's nature.

Cora was also already a bit of a tomboy, preferring to play with blocks and cars, rather than dolls and art like Lydia. Lydia loved being called princess, while Cora hated it. There was only one person that could get away with calling Cora princess, and that was Boyd. Anyone else, even Stiles or Derek, got a full blown Hale glare, and sometimes, a small kick to the shin.

Loyal to her pack, Cora was protective of her younger siblings, getting on best with Lydia, and spending time with the extended pack. Of the pups, Cora was the happiest to go to an adult that wasn't Stiles or Derek. She especially liked spending time with Erica and Boyd, and when the pack was all together it was not uncommon for Cora to seek out the pair of betas and snuggle up with them.

Currently, however, Cora had her arms wrapped around Stiles' leg possessively, as if she could prevent him from moving away from her...not that he had any desire to. Why would he want to move, he was with his children, and all was well.

"Will Papa be home soon?" Cora asked sleepily.

Stiles nodded in response to Cora's question. The pups had eaten lunch just before they'd all laid down for their nap, and only an hour had passed since then. Derek usually tried to be home by four o'clock so he could spend some quality time with his children before it was time for dinner, baths, and then bed.

"He'll get home after afternoon snack, and you'll be able to tell him all about your day. Uncle Boyd and Auntie Erica and Uncle Danny and Uncle Ethan and Uncle Aidan are coming around for dinner too."

"Yay," Cora cheered sleepily, before she tightened her grip on her pillow and drifted off to sleep. Stiles exhaled, casting his gaze over his children. They were all sound asleep, lulled by the scent of his body, the sound of his heartbeat, and the sound of his voice. Even now, when they were two, Stiles was the best one for putting the pups to sleep.

Slowly, Stiles moved his hand from Scott's hair and rested it instead over the swell in his stomach. He'd never planned to fall pregnant again so quickly after the quintuplets had been born. He and Derek had both used birth control drugs the first two heats Stiles had gone through after the birth, but the next one had been the most intense heat Stiles had ever experienced, arriving weeks ahead of schedule and without any warning. Stiles and Derek hadn't had the chance to take the birth control drugs and let them start to work before Stiles was desperate to feel Derek's knot within him.

Within six weeks of the heat Stiles had known, even before taking a test, that he was pregnant again. This time, however, he was only carrying one baby, and Stiles was inwardly grateful. Despite there being only one baby within him, Stiles' second pregnancy had been far more difficult than his first, leaving Stiles exhausted and sapped of energy, especially when Stiles was the primary caregiver for five very active toddlers. A bad bout of the flu early on in the pregnancy had left Stiles weak and bedridden for a weak, and there had been serious discussions about sending him to hospital. It was only because Stiles had a severe panic attack at the very thought of going to the hospital, the same place his mother had died in front of him, that Melissa, Stiles' dad and Derek agreed that Stiles was better off where he was in the home that he was familiar with.

Eventually Stiles' fever had broken, and he'd stopped coughing and sneezing, but despite the attentive care of Derek and the rest of the pack, Stiles' strength hadn't fully returned to what it had been. At least, Stiles thought to himself, his unborn child hadn't been affected by Stiles' illness. His latest ultrasound had confirmed that the baby looked to be developing at the expected rate and growing well despite Stiles' weariness. As if he or she knew that Stiles was thinking about them, the baby kicked at the hand Stiles had resting on his stomach. Stiles rubbed his skin, trying to settle the baby down.

"Shh, baby, its nap time, not play time." Lydia whispered to the baby, obviously having been able to feel the baby's movements as well. Stiles bit his lip to contain his laughter at Lydia's comment, continuing to rub his stomach soothingly. Stiles wasn't sure whether it was Lydia's words, or his rubbing that worked, but the baby within him settled down. Stiles relaxed, and he drifted off to sleep, reassured by the feel of his children curled up around him.

TW

Derek was quiet as he slid the key out of the ignition of his car, opening up the car door and stepping out. The sounds of the woods washed over him, the chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves and branches as a gentle breeze blew through the trees, the distant scuffling of small woodland animals. He ignored it all though, instead focusing his attention on the house, relaxing only when he heard the gentle heartbeats of his mate and children. They all sounded normal, steady and even and strong.

Fatherhood had changed everything, as far as Derek was concerned. While it was true that he'd already had a pack, it wasn't until the pups had arrived that it had really struck Derek...that he had a pack...that he had a family again. So much of himself had died the day he'd lost his family, and now it was like so much of it had come back. Derek still grieved for the loss of his family, and blamed himself for letting Kate in, but the loss didn't pain him so much as it had back before he'd returned to Beacon Hills and met Stiles.

Derek locked his car and walked up to the house, letting himself through the locked front door with ease, before he glanced around the house. With the exception of the heartbeats upstairs, and the innocent ticking of the living room clock, the house was quiet, and Derek was immediately suspicious. With five toddlers in the house (let alone Stiles), silence was never a good omen. Taking off his shoes and his jacket, and carefully hanging his jacket on the back of his chair in the dining room, Derek filled the kettle with water and flicked it on.

Generally speaking, his and Stiles' children were well behaved, for their age, so Derek wasn't too concerned by the quiet, but they were only two years old. No child that age was perfectly behaved all of the time, and anyone who thought so was deluded, in Derek's opinion. He knew that they were all healthy and not injured, and they were all in the house, and that was all that mattered. If there was something wrong Derek would be able to tell from the pups' heart rates, as well was Stiles'.

The kettle slowly warming up, Derek tip toed up the stairs. Usually by this time of day the pups had woken up from their nap, ready to play, but it wasn't unheard of for them to sleep a little later. With Stiles as tired as he was Derek didn't want to upset his mate by waking up their pups and disrupting the peace and quiet that had descended onto their home.

Pausing at Scott's bedroom door, Derek poked his head into the room. The pups had only just recently been split up into their own individual rooms at nights to sleep even though they all played in each other rooms during the days, but for their afternoon nap the pups still liked being close together while they slept, a trait that Derek had connected back to not only being werewolves, where the pups traditionally all curled up and slept together, but also having spent the first nine or so months of their existence wrapped around one another within Stiles' womb.

Stiles had been the one to suggest a solution, with a soft mattress that could be brought out for nap times that was big enough for all five pups to sleep on. Derek had approved, and he'd known it was physically easier for Stiles to get the mattress out rather than lifting their five pups into their own individual cots. It was why Derek had been the one putting the pups into bed in the evenings ad getting them out again in the mornings ever since Stiles had realised he was pregnant.

Today, however, the mattress was empty, the assorted blankets and pillows the children like sleeping with looking rumpled. The pups had been sleeping here, but they weren't anymore. Derek concentrated on the exact location of the heartbeats he could hear, and smiled to himself. Really, he should have known.

Making his way down the hallway, Derek pushed his own bedroom door, inhaling deeply as he breathed in the combined scents of his mate, himself, and their pups. Stiles was lying on his side on the bed, Isaac, Scott, Lydia, Jackson and Cora curled up agasint him, all of them sound asleep. Smiling wryly to himself, Derek crossed the threshold into the room, crossing across the thick carpet to Stiles' side of the bed, sicne his own was occupied by his pups.

"Hmmm...Derek," Stiles blearily asked, his eyes fluttering open as he partially woke up. Derke smiled and put on hand over Stiles', feeling the swell in his stomach.

"Hey, I'm here," Derek told his mate softly.

Stiles smiled, "Hello...I missed you today."

"Did you?" Derek asked with a smile, before he pressed his lips to Stiles' in a soft, gentle, kiss. Derek felt the baby kick at his and Stiles' joined hands, and Stiles huffed out a quiet laugh.

"Guess I wasn't the only one," he commented with a grin. Derek knelt on the edge of the bed, kissing Stiles' soft stomach where his t-shirt ad ridden up.

"Hello to you too, little pup." He greeted, "I hope you've been good for daddy."

"Lydia told the baby off for kicking earlier," Stiles told Derek, and Derek snorted with amusement.

"She takes good care of you...they all do. How come they're in here?"

"I think they just wanted hugs," Stiles admitted with a shrug, although he aborted the gesture when Isaac made a small noise of protest. Derek reached out and soothed Issac, running his fingers through Isaac's curls.

"I can't blame them for that...I hate being away from you as well."

"What time is it? Did you get out of work early or something?"

"No...it's the normal time, coming up to four o'clock. You all must have been tired to sleep this long."

"They've enjoyed playing outside today. It's been the first day in awhile where the weather has been nice enough for us all to be out. The fresh air must have tired them out."

"What about you...how are you feeling?"

"Tired," Stiles admitted honestly, knowing that Derek would know if he lied, "but having a nice long sleep has helped, I think."

Derek felt Stiles' forehead, checking for any sign of a fever, a habit he'd developed when Stiles had been sick.

Stiles rolled his eyes, "I'm fine," he told Derek, voice thick with exasperation. Derek frowned combing his fingers through Stiles' hair, instead of Isaac's.

"I'm sorry if I pester you, Stiles, but I worry about you. You're the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning, and the last thing I think about before I go to sleep. I dream about you every night, and I think about you every moment of every day. You and the pups and the rest of the pack are the reason I exist. Without you I would be nothing. I would sacrifice my life over and over again in the most painful ways possible if it meant that you and our children were safe."

Stiles' eyes glistened with tears, and he reached out, pulling Derek into a kiss.

"I love you, Derek," he said once they broke apart for air, "and nothing will ever take that away."

"I love you too Stiles," Derek replied, kissing Stiles again, before he straightened up his back and walked around the bed, carefully climbing up onto it, avoiding putting his weight anywhere near the sleeping toddlers. Scott stirred, lifting his head up and peering sleepily up at Derek in a way that reminded Derek vividly of Stiles, just minutes earlier.

"Papa...you're home."

I sure am," Derek smiled, kissing Scott on the forehead. Scott let out a soft chuffing noise and snuggled back down, while Derek made himself comfortable. Cora moved in her sleep towards him, and Derek gathered her close in his arms, thankful that he and Stiles had a large bed that was perfect for family bonding sessions like this.

Soon it would be time for Derek to get up and start preparing dinner for the family (he wasn't as good as cooking as Stiles, but he managed), but for the moment, he just wanted to curl up with his family, and savour the moment. He was surrounded by his pups and his mate, with their unborn child growing healthily in his mate's womb. Everything, as far as Derek was concerned, was perfect.


	2. Chapter 2

The weeks flew by, the days lengthening and the weather improving as winter turned to spring. Stiles was only a few days away from his due date now, and he was looking forward to finally meeting his newest child.

The rest of the pack was excited too. The pups rarely strayed far from Stiles' side, pressing their ears to his stomach and listening to the sound of their baby sibling's heartbeat, chattering away to it excitedly. Erica, Danny and Ethan were all just as excited, although they were better at disguising their excitement than the pups. Boyd, Aidan and Peter were even better at disguising how they felt, but both Stiles and Derek knew from the way that they were behaving that they too were eagerly anticipating the arrival of their alpha's newest child.

As for Derek, he was just as excited as Stiles was, spending as much time as he could with Stiles, taking care of his mate and talking quietly to his unborn child. He used his werewolf powers to absorb Stiles' pain when his back ached from the additional weight he was carrying, and he kept their older children quietly occupied to give Stiles the chance to rest.

To Stiles, it felt as though the entire pack was waiting with baited breath for the moment that the newest member of the pack would arrive. Like his first pregnancy, Stiles was now under 24 hour supervision, with an adult member of the pack with him at all times (thankfully he'd managed to negotiate going to the bathroom alone by promising that he wouldn't lock himself in.

The moment of truth came at about two o'clock in the afternoon on a rainy day in late march. Erica, Boyd and Aidan had taken the pups out for the day to get them away from Stiles so he could rest, while Danny stayed with Stiles, and Derek and Ethan were at work. Stiles' wasn't all that surprise when he felt the first pain that he immediately identified as a contraction...and not just the Braxton Hicks contraction he'd been having for the last month. His back had been aching all day, and he felt restless and on edge, as if he subconsciously knew something was going to happen.

Danny, observant as always, noticed the look of discomfort on Stiles' face the moment it appeared, and narrowed his eyes.

"Are you okay, Stiles?"

"I think it's starting," Stiles admitted, licking his dry lips a little, "I might be wrong, but i think i just had a contraction. It feels like it did right at the start last time."

"Do you want me to call Derek?"

Stiles glanced at the clock on the wall before he shook his head, "No, he'll be home soon anyway. We'll let him finish off at work. It might be a good idea to call Erica and ask if she and Boyd can watch the kids tonight though."

Danny nodded and got out his phone, withdrawing to the doorway to call Erica. Stiles rubbed his stomach absentmindedly, both excited at the prospect of finally meeting the baby he'd been carrying within him for the last nine months, and preparing himself for the ordeal that he was about to go into. Stiles knew that it was different this time around, he only had one baby within him for one, but despite that, he still knew that the process of labour and then giving birth would probably be very long and drawn out, and very painful.

"How do you feel?" Danny asked once he'd finished his phone call and rejoined Stiles. Stiles shrugged.

"I'm fine at the moment, let's put a movie on...try and keep my mind off things for a bit."

'Okay...are you sure you don't want me to call Derek? He'll kill me if something happens and he misses it, or if something bad happens to you."

"If it gets worse, I'll get you to call him. It's just uncomfortable at the moment," Stiles shrugged calmly. Hesitantly, Danny nodded and picked out the Avengers, knowing how much Stiles loved watching the movie. Stiles beamed at his choice as the main menu came up on the screen.

'You know me too damn wall, Danny."

"I've known you since we were four years old...I should know you well after all these years." Danny pointed out with a smile as he settled comfortably in an arm chair, letting Stiles stretch out on the couch, propped up on cushions, with a blanket draped over him.

The pair were relatively silent as they watched the movie, Stiles shifting restlessly on the couch from time to time as his body twinged in pain or protested about the way he was positioned. The contractions, however, were so far just over half an hour apart, and Stiles breathed through them calmly, rubbing his belly in an attempt to ease the discomfort.

"Are you sure you're okay without Derek here?" Danny asked after Stiles' third contraction. Stiles sighed and glanced at his watch.

"He'll be leaving work soon anyway, there isn't any point. Besides, there isn't much Derek can do this early on. Baby is taking it's time, I think."

Danny nodded, and settled down again to finish watching the movie. Once the after the credits scene had played, because it was practically illegal for a diehard Marvel fan like Stiles to watch a Marvel film without watching the after the credits scene Danny got the DVD out of the player and put it away, switching the TV to some random channel, before he ducked out of the den in order to put the kettle on. He got some tea ready, since there was no way he was going to give Stiles coffee right now. Stiles was rather fond of a herbal blend that Deaton had recommended, so Danny prepared it, adding a little honey, knowing that Stiles preferred it that way. He made some for himself too, to calm down his nerves. Stiles' mate honestly intimidated Danny just the little bit, especially when he was angry at someone. Hopefully Derek wouldn't overreact to the knowledge that Danny hadn't contacted him the moment Stiles had gone into labor.

"You never answered my question form the other day," Danny commented casually as he re-entered the den, pleased to find that Stiles hadn't moved except to use the remote to change the channel to something more to his taste.

"Which question was that?"

"Do you have a preference as to what you have? I mean, I know you don't really care, but, you know, if you could choose...what would it be?"

"Probably a girl...even things out a bit," Stiles admitted to his best friend honestly, "I've got three boys and two girls already, another girl would even things up nicely, but I've got a feeling that it's a boy. At least Cora and Lydia have each other, it's not like they're on their own against all the boys."

"True," Danny conceded, "even though apart from their shared DNA Cora and Lydia have nothing in common."

Stiles laughed. It was true. Lydia at the age of two was the definition of a girly girl while Cora was very much a tomboy. Despite the fact, though, they were as close as two year olds could be, and Stiles knew in his heart that Cora and Lydia would become great friends as they grew up. Even though they were outnumbered by their brothers (although that might change, Cora and Lydia still managed hold their own, neither of ther personalities accepting anything less.

Slowly and gingerly Stiles got to his feet, using the arm of the sofa to steady himself until he was fully upright, his spare hand rubbing his back as it ached.

"Are you okay?' Danny asked as he sipped his tea, half risng to his feet in concern. Stiles waved him off.

"He or she is right on my bladder, again. I'm going to get messy enough over the next few hours without peeing myself." Stiles smiled with a pained grin, which looked liek a grimace as he gingerly headed for the bathroom. Danny hesitated before following, standing outside the door as Stiles did what he needed to do. Stiles rolled his eyes as he left the bathroom, having washed and dried his hands, taking in Danny standing in the hallway.

'You're just as bad as Derek, you know that."

"I'm the one who is going to get my throat ripped out if anything happens to you...and i like my neck intact thank you very much," Danny replied. Stiles huffed out a laugh, leaning backwards as far as he could in order to stretch his back.

"Derek's not that bad," Stiles protested, "I've trained that violent streak out of him. He hasn't threatened to do that to anybody since we were in high school."

"He'd not that bad unless you've been injured or something like that," Danny pointed out, and Stiles frowned, knowing that Danny did have a valid point. Derek was nothing if he wasn't very protective of Stiles, their children, and the rest of the pack."

"I'm sure everything will be fine...nothign will happen, he'll be home soon anyway." Stiles shrugged and began walking around the house, with Danny watching his every move. It wasn't long before they heard the familiar roar of Derek's car coming up the driveway, and there was a little part of Danny that let out a sigh of relief, relaxing with the knowledge that Derek was back home and would be able to look after Stiles...and that nothing serious had happened before Derek had arrived. From what Danny had observed Stiles' contractions were still a long way apart, and they were not very long lasting. The baby, from Danny's limited knowledge, was still a long way off.

"Speak of the devil," Stiles smiled, relief evident on his face, obviously just as pleased, and if not even more so, than Danny had been to know that Derek was coming.

Stiles was privately surprised that he'd been able to get Derek to go to work for the last few days, once there had been the subtle change in his scent that meant that labor was within a few days of starting. Derek had tried to styay at Stiles' side since he'd noticed the change, but Stiles had somehow persuaded him to continue going to work, agasint Derek's wishes.

The engine of Derek's car shut off, and both humans heard the sound of the car door opening and closing, as well as the sound of Derek's heavy footsteps approaching the house. Danny went and boiled the kettle, knowing that Derek would appreciate a hot drink after his day at work, while Stile leaned against the back of the couch and waited for the door to open and for Derek to step in.

The moment Derek closed the door Stiles watched as his alpha...his mate, lifted his head, sniffing delicately at the air, before red tinged eyes landed on Stiles. Stiles knew that Derek would be able to smell that he was in labour thanks to the hormones his body was producing.

"Hey," Stiles began.

"Stiles...how long?" Derek asked, putting his things down in a pile at the door and racing to Stiles' side.

"A couple of hours, a little over two, maybe. They're still really far apart though. Over half an hour in between, so I didn't think it was worth calling you."

"You're my mate...I should have been with you from the start."

"Derek...last time I'm pretty sure I slept through this stage entirely. It's okay."

Frowning, Derek put his bare hand on Stiles' arm, tendrils of black snaking up Derek's arm from the contact.

"You're sure about that?" Derek asked with just a hint of a smile. Stiles sighed and leaned against Derek.

"Just my back, it's a bit worse than it has been."

"Have you called anyone? Melissa? Deaton? Your dad?"

"no, no and no. Erica and Boyd know, since the others are going to be staying there, but I haven't called anyone else yet. Besides, Melissa and my dad will still be at work until later, i'll call them then."

"Alright," Derek sighed, knowing that nothing he could do could sway Stiles' mind. Stiles' refusal to take his dad or his stepmother away from their work was a relic of Stiles' teenage years, when his self esteem had been so low. Despite their best efforts, nobody had been able to get Stiles out of the habit.

"Do you guys want anything to eat?" Danny asked from the doorway, holding a mug of coffee for Derek in his hands. Derek crossed the room and took the cup with a smile and a nod of thanks.

"I'm good, thanks Danny," Stiles grinned from where he stood.

Derek sipped his coffee, "I'm fine, thanks, Danny. Do you want to head home and tell Ethan what's going on?"

"Yeah, I'll grab some bags of stuff and we'll be back later." Danny nodded, before he quickly drained his own tea, and grabbed his car keys, waving to Stiles as he left. Derek walked back to Stiles and leaned against the back of the sofa beside him, reaching out his hand and putting it gently around Stiles' wrist, absorbing the pain caused by Stiles' aching back.

Half way through Stiles' pregnancy the entire pack had got together and planned what would happen when Stiles went into labor. It wouldn't be like it was last time, with the entire pack at the rebuilt Hale family home. Stiles and Derek had both agreed that Scott, Jackson, Cora, Lydia and Isaac were too young to be at the house when their younger sibling was born. Their werewolf senses would detect almost everything that would be happening in their parent's room, and all of them got upset when Stiles got so much as a paper cut. Being able to smell that much of Stiles' blood, as well as being able to hear everything that had happened in the room would just be too traumatic for them.

As such, Erica and Boyd had volunteered to keep the children at their house, well away from Stiles, but still well within pack boundaries. For added security, as Derek was worried that a rival pack would take the opportunity to try and take over the Hale Pack territory (although there hadn't been any signs of anything out of the ordinary), Aidan would stay with Erica and Boyd as well. Ethan, Danny, Melissa, the Sherriff, Deaton and Peter would be at the main house with Stiles and Derek, Melissa and Deaton assisting Stiles, although Derek hoped that this time around was less fraught with drama than last time.

Derek's senses told him that Stiles had been right, that the actual birth was not going to happen within the next hour or so, so it made sense for Danny to go home and get anything he and Ethan might need before he came back, ready for the serious part of things.

It looked like it was going to be a long night.

TEEN WOLF

"What time is it?" Stiles wearily asked, breaking the quiet of the room. Derek tightened his grip on Stiles slightly, hugging him as close as possible, all things considered.

"About three fifteen in the morning," Derek replied, "You've been asleep for almost four hours."

"That's over twelve hours...why isn't anything happening?" Stiles moaned as he felt another contraction building within him. Derek kissed the top of Stiles' head and continued to leech his pain away. He could hear the frustration in Stiles' voice, and he understood the underlying course.

At about six o'clock the previous evening, about two hours after Derek had gotten home from work, Stiles had finally decided that he wanted to ring his dad and Melissa, along with the rest of the pack and Deaton. By seven o'clock, everyone was either at Erica and Boyd's house, or was with Stiles and Derek. Melissa had checked Stiles over, and one look at her face told Derek, and Stiles, that it was going to take awhile.

Peter, Derek and Ethan had gone for a run, checking the perimeter of the pack territory, and also checking in with Erica and Boyd. Derek had been able to tuck his children into bed and watch as one by one they fell asleep, before they'd headed back to the main house. From then on Derek hadn't left Stiles' side.

They'd started off watching a couple of movies, trying to distract Stiles from the discomfort he was in. He had having contractions every fifteen to twenty minutes or so by then, and Derek could see how Stiles' already fatigued body was getting weary. Stiles spent his time either on the couch, curled against Derek, or pacing the den nervously, while the rest of the pack members tried to act normally, as if this was normal.

By the end of the second movie Stiles had finally fallen asleep, leaning on Derek's chest, with his head resting over Derek's heart, able to hear its steady beating even without werewolf hearing. Derek had carried him upstairs to their bedroom, knowing that it was likely that Stiles wouldn't leave the room again until after he'd given birth.

Derek had stayed at Stiles' side as his mate slept, carding his fingers through Stiles' sweaty hair and absorbing Stiles' pain when his brow furrowed in his sleep. Downstairs he could hear Danny and Ethan making idle conversation with Melissa, Stiles' dad, and Deaton. He could hear Peter's heartbeat, but Derek couldn't hear the sound of his uncle's voice. He guessed that his uncle was probably reading or simply watching the rest of the people he was with.

Now, though, Derek's priority was Stiles, who had just woken up after almost four hours of much needed sleep. Derek smiled reassuringly at Stiles, taking in the way Stiles' hair was mussed up and the sleepy look on his face.

"It'll happen," Derek said softly, rubbing Stiles' shoulder gently. Stiles sighed and nodded, before he sat up and swung his legs off the edge of the bed.

"I need to pee." He told Derek as he rose to his feet, steadying himself on the bed until he'd caught his balance. Derek watched as Stiles waddled over to the bathroom and went inside, hating how Stiles was obviously in so much discomfort. As much as Derek loved his children, he hated how much pain and discomfort Stiles went through while he was carrying them. Getting off the bed himself, Derek stood at the end of the bed, ready to go to his mate if Stiles needed him.

A gentle knocking at their bedroom door drew Derek from his musing, and he sniffed, recognizing Melissa's scent. It made sense that, now Stiles was awake, for Melissa to check how dilated Stiles was.

"Come in Melissa," Derek called, and the door swung open, admitting Stiles' stepmother.

"Hey," she smiled at Derek, "How is he?"

"Tired...frustrated. I wish he'd slept for longer, he still looks exhausted," Derek admitted, dragging his hand over his eyes.

"The fact that his body woke hi, up might be a sign that the baby is almost here," Melissa commented wisely, although she bit back a yawn, as if she had only just woken up.

"How are you guys doing?" Derek asked.

"John finally went to sleep about an hour ago; he was pacing nervously before that, pretty much since you took Stiles upstairs. Danny and Ethan are both asleep as well, but Peter is still awake, he was the one who told me that Stiles was awake again. Ethan got a text at about midnight from Aidan saying that all was well at Erica and Boyd's house." Melissa reported. Derek nodded, thankful for the update. He honestly wasn't surprised that John had been pacing. Stiles' father had noticed how tired Stiles had been throughout the pregnancy, all too used to seeing past the mask Stiles used to hide how he felt.

Derek couldn't imagine watching one of his children looking so exhausted and drained of energy. It made him thankful that it was unlikely that any of his children were Omega, thanks to their genes. It was almost unheard of for an Alpha to father an omega, and Derek was glad. While it was true that Cora and Lydia, and the new baby, if it was a girl, would probably go on to have their own children, they wouldn't have to go through heats and have the heightened risk of a multiple pregnancy that an omega had. As for Scott, Jackson, and Isaac...they would either be Alpha or Beta, and therefore wouldn't be able to carry children at all.

The bathroom door opened and Stiles waddled out, smiling wearily when he saw Melissa, crossing over to her and hugging her, the closest thign to a mother he'd had since he was nine years old.

"It hurts and I'm tired," he whined softly as Melissa hugged him back, rubbing his shoulder's soothingly.

"I know, Stiles, Do you mind if I have a look to see how far you've progressed?"

Stiles shook his head and walked over to the bed, sitting down with a groan and slowly wriggling back, before he lay down on his back. Melissa ducked into the bathroom to wash her hands, before she came back out and put some gloves on, before slowly approaching Stiles. Derek was glad that Stiles had already taken the loose sweatpants he had been wearing off, leaving him only wearing a long sleeved t-shirt and an old pair of boxers. Derek sat beside Stiles' head as Melissa carefully lowered Stiles' boxers to allow her to have a look. Running his finger's thorugh Stiles' hair, Derek focused on Stiles, as Stiles looked up at him, biting his lip nervously.

"You are making progress, but you've still got a bit to go, Stiles," Melissa told them after a minute, "You're at six centimetres now."

Stiles let out a broken sob at the news, and Derek cringed in sympathy. After over twelve hours of labour already only being dilated six centimetres was not good news.

Derek shot a pleading look towards Melissa, "Is there anything we can do to speed things up?" he asked.

Shaking her head, Melissa pushed Stiles boxers back up, "Walking might help, but other than that all we can do is wait," she replied. Derek nodded in understanding as Stiles openly sobbed.

"My body officially hates me," he announced.

"No it doesn't. You can do this, Stiles," Melissa said, patting Stiles on the knee before she got up and removed her gloves, tossing them into the bin placed against the wall. Derek helped Stiles sit up again, before offering his hand to steady Stiles as he stood upright.

"I'll leave you to it then, if anything happens, you yell for me, okay?" Melissa told them sternly, and Derek nodded in response, holding onto Stiles' arm supportively.

"Come on, I need to walk around some more." Stiles grunted once Melissa had left the room. Derek nodded, walking beside Stiles as he paced, both of them praying that ti would all be over soon.

TEEN WOLF

"Oh god this hurts," Stiles whined as he clung onto Derek's shoulders, burying his face into the werewolf's broad chest as they stood on their bedroom floor, the contraction within him making his knees buckle from the pain.

Eventually the contraction passed, and Stiles released his death grip on Derek's t-shirt, supporting his own weight once again, his hands automatically going back to his heavily swollen stomach, rubbing it gently. Stiles felt Derek's lips press to his sweaty forehead, but he didn't respond to the gesture, too busy trying to regain his breath.

"They're only two minutes apart now," Derek observed, and Stiles nodded in response, before letting out a weary sigh and leaning back against Derek's chest as much as he could.

"What time is it?" he asked wearily, too tired to look up at the clock on the wall. He felt Derek's arm move as he checked his watch, and Stiles closed his eyes, breathing in and out deeply.

"Nine fifty three," Derek answered Stiles' question, his hand resting back on Stiles' bare back, Stiles shirt having been removed an hour earlier.

"Do you think I'm going to crack the twenty four hour mark?" Stiles asked with a weak grin, and he felt Derek snort in amusement, his warm breath ruffling Stiles sweat soaked hair.

"You heard Melissa the last time she checked, you're almost there," Derek reminded, and Stiles nodded in understanding, although he was distracted by the building tightness in his womb again. Another contraction. Surely that hadn't been two minutes since the last one?

"Derek," Stiles gasped n warning, resting his forehead against Derek's collarbone as he tried to steady his breathing as the contraction began in earnest. Stiles felt Derek's grip on him tighten in response to the warning, the numb feeling caused by Derek sucking pain spreading from the places where Derek's fingers were pressed against the small of Stiles' back, easing the intensely throbbing pain in Stiles' back that came with each contraction.

Stiles pressed his lips together to stifle the whine that was building in his throat, letting out a low moan of pain.

"It's okay, Stiles, I've got you, it's okay," Stiles could hear Derek saying, and he focused on the reassuring sound of Derek's voice, using it as an anchor against the contraction that was gripping his entire abdomen.

Stiles wasn't sure how long the contraction lasted for, but he let out a groan of relief when it was over, still leaning against Derek. Stiles' eyes blinked open when he felt the telltale gush of liquid running down his legs.

"My water just broke," he told Derek, who nodded, kissing the top of Stiles' head again.

"It won't be long now, Stiles. Do you want to lie down, or are you okay like this?"

"I'm okay, for now," Stiles nodded, resting his head against Derek's chest wearily.

"Do you want me to call for Melissa?" Derek asked, rubbing Stiles' back soothingly. Stiles hesitated thoughtfully before he shook his head.

"Not yet...I want it to be just us for a little more."

"Okay," Derek said in a soft voice that made Stiles feel like he was the centre of Derek's world. He loved the soft voice Derek used when they were alone, whispering sweet nothings to him, raining compliments down upon Stiles, making sure Stiles knew just how much Derek loved him.

"I love you," Stiles said as he felt Derek's arms tighten protectively around him, "I love everything about you. There isn't a single thing about you that I would change."

"Not even how I'm related to Peter?"Derek teasingly asked.

Stiles laughed, "Well...now that you mention it..." he commented thoughtfully.

Derek let out a low chuckle, "I love you too, Stiles."

"I know," Stiles smiled, "I can't beelive our baby is almost here...we're going to have six children under three soon enough. How crazy does that sound."

"If it's alright with you, we might hold off on our next baby until this one a little older...maybe at school maybe?' Derek suggested, and Stiles laughed.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. It's a good thing we've got so many friends...that we've got the pack. I don't know how we would have done it otherwise with the quintuplets...and it'll only get crazier once this one is born."

"We'll cope...we'll manage. I love you, you know that, and I love our children as well. We'll manage, for their sake."

"We always will," Agreed Stiles, looking up at Derek and pulling him down for a kiss. The gesture started off gentle, a tender, sweet brushing of Stiles' lips to Derek's, but then Stiles deepened the kiss, making it more passionate and less gentle. Stiles went up on his tip toes as he gripped Derek's hair tightly as they kissed, revelling in the taste of one another.

Stiles pulled away, breaking off the kiss, when he felt the next contraction beginning within him, grasping his belly and doubling over in pain as he moaned in pain.

"Stiles," Derek cried out, holding onto Stiles as tightly as he dared, absorbing as much of the pain that Stiles was experiencing that he could.

"I...I think I want to lay down now...I'm getting tired," Stiles admitted once the contraction was over. Tired was probably an understatement...exhausted was closer to the truth. Derek nodded, scooping Stiles up into a bridal hold and carrying him across the room to their bed, prepared for the birth, with plastic sheeting protecting the mattress, and clean towels, sheets and blankets ready. Stiles would normally have protested being carried like this, but honestly he was grateful. After such a long time in labour it seemed that things had finally started to progress. Stiles was pretty sure that, within an hour or two, the baby would finally be born.

"Melissa!" Derek called as he climbed onto the bed behind Stiles so that Stiles could partially sit up with his back agasint Derek's chest. Stiles focused on his breathing as his body went into another painful contraction, not even noticing when Melissa opened the bedroom door and stepped inside, Deaton at her heels.

"I think it's going to be soon, the contractions are really close together," Derek informed her, as Stiles was too preoccupied with the contraction to speak. Melissa immediately donned gloves while Deaton finished off preparing the room, getting the clamps and the scissors ready, as well as the clean blanket that Derek and Stiles' newborn would be bundled up in. Stiles let out a sigh of relief as the contraction finally ended and he could take a moment to catch his breath before the enxt one came. Melissa took the opportune moment and approached Derek and Stiles, her facial expressional very professional.

"Ok, Stiles, i'm going to check how far you're dialiated, although form the sound of things you're pretty close." she told Stiles, who nodded, parting his legs to make it easier for Melissa to see. It was then that another contraction took effect, and Stiles whined, resisting the urge to push, not willing to do it before he knew that his body was fully ready. He'd done his research and read horror stories on the internet about what sort of damage could be casued by pushing too early.

"I forgot how much this bit hurt," Stiles hissed as he leaned against Derek's chest, tears rolling down his face, even though Derek had thick black lines running up his arm from the pain he was drawing from Stiles' body. Melissa nodded sympathetically as she ended her examination.

'You're transitioning from the first stage of labour to the second. You'll be able to start pushing really soon, Stiles." Melissa told Stiles, taking off her gloves after examining Stiles, before she disappeared into the bathroom to wash her hands. Stiles smiled weakly and tilted his head back so he could see Derek.

"I'm proud of you," Derek said, kissing Stiles' sweaty forehead, "It's almost over, just a little bit more. You can do it."

Stiles nodded and took a steadying breath. He was physically exhausted and mentally over being pregnant, and especially being in labor. All he wanted was to finally be able to hold his newborn baby in his arms

It wouldn't be long before he got his wish.

TEEN WOLF

"Okay, Stiles, I can see the head," Melissa informed Stiles as he finally relaxed after a big push, sucking in lungfuls of air as if he'd been drowning or running a marathon.

"Next contraction, give me a really big push, okay?" Melissa instructed, and Stiles let out a groan before nodding, already feeling the next contraction building. He fisted his left hand into the blankets, his right hand wrapped around Derek's, gripping his mate's hand tight enough to even make Derek's werewolf bones creak under the pressure as Stiles bore down, pushing hard. Within him he felt the baby slide a little further down, discomfort building within his legs as the baby began to crown. Like last time, while Scott was being born, Melissa carefully made a small cut to stop Stiles from tearing, easing the burn slightly, although it still hurt, even with Derek draining his pain.

"Okay, nice and easy now, Stiles, lets see if we can get baby's head out." Melissa told them ,and Stiles bore down again, pushing hard, a yell of pain escaping his mouth as he pushed as hard as he could before he stopped, slumping back in exhaustion against Derek.

"I think baby wants to be born, he or she isn't retreating much in between contractions," Melissa commented, and Stiles nodded, relieved by the fact that the baby was trying to make life easier for him. Even if it wasn't true, it was a nice thought to have.

Again and again Stiles bore down, exhaustion from the lengthy labour and the fact that Stiles had already been tired before he'd even gone into labour having taken it's toll on Stiles' body. Some of Stiles' omega insiticts had kicked in, telling his body what to do, and leaving Stiles powerless to do anything about it. Eventually though, Stiles felt the baby's head finally finish easing out of him.

"Okay, Stiles, great job, baby's head it out. Next up is a shoulder. I'm going to try and ease it out during the next contraction, okay?" Melissa asked. Stiles nodded leaning back as far as he could onto Derek, who was combing Stiles' hair back and wiping down Stiles face and back with a cold sponge with the hand that Stiles didn't have a vice like grip on.

"You're doing so well, Stiles, not long to go now. A couple more pushes and it's all over." Derek encouraged as Stiles tenced up in preparation for the next contraction, bearing down as hard as he could, a scream of pain coming out of his mouth as he pushed. He felt Derek get out from behind him, instead sitting beside Stiles on the bed so he was better able to see his child coming into the world.

"Good one, Stiles... the first shoulder is out. One more contraction and your little baby will be born." Melissa told Stiles. Stiles nodded, waiting for the next contraction before he pushed with everything he had, bearing down onto the bed and crying out with the force of the contraction.

Stiles felt the baby slip out from between his legs and he let out a gasp, leaning sideways into Derek, barely able to sit up unsupported.

"Congratulations guys, it's a little boy," Melissa announced as the baby began crying loudly, protesting his arrival into the cold, harsh world to everyone who could hear.

"A boy?" Stiles beamed, craning his neck to see his newborn son. Melissa quickly clamped the cord, and Derek cut it once it had finished pulsing, before Melissa placed the baby on Stiles' stomach, with Derek quickly climbing back behind Stiles' back so that Stiles could lean back against him.

"Hello there, little guy," Stiles greeted in a soft voice, taking in his newest child, his little baby boy.

"He's gorgeous Stiles...He looks like you already."

"You think so?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah...he's your little guy, no doubting it," Derek grinned, 'He's perfect."

Stiles smiled, looking down at the baby lying on his stomach, Stiles' arms curled around it automatically, although he was no where near strong enough to hold the baby himself. Derek, however, saw Stiles' dilemma, and put his arms around Stiles, so that they were both cradling their son against Stiles' warm body.

The baby nuzzled against Stiles' skin, his cries diminishing as the tiny werewolf breathed in the reassuring scents of his parents. Wordlessly, Derek helped Stiles move their son so that he could reach Stiles' nipple, and the baby latched on, suckling gently, his fingers curling in pleasure as he started his first meal.

"How do you feel?" Stiles heard Derek ask, and he simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Happy...tired...but happy."

"You should get some sleep, you've earned it," Derek smiled. Stiles glanced up at the clock on the wall, checking the time.

"The baby was born at eleven forty three", Melissa offered helpfully as she passed Derek a blanket to drape over the baby's body to keep it warm, as well as a little beanie to stop heat from escaping that way. Stiles let out a groan.

"You were in labour for just over 21 and a half hours, no wonder you're tired," Derek whispered in an awed voice.

"Shouldn't we let the pups come and see their new brother...although I suppose he's the pup now, isn't he?" Stiles asked thoughtfully, although he yawned after asking the question. Derek let out a quiet snort

"Next full moon you tell me if the quintuplets are no longer pups or not," Derek chuckled, 'They'll still be little bulls of fluff that are constantly tripping over their own feet. Being older siblings hasn't stopped them from being our pups. They've waited nine months to see him, they can wait a few more hours so that you can have a sleep."

"You should have a sleep too", Melissa suggested, "you haven't slept in over 24 hours, and if you slept for one second last night while Stiles was asleep then I would be amazed."

Derek had the common sense to look sheepish at Melissa's comment, and Stiles rolled his eyes sleepily.

"Come on, sourwolf, it's over, everything's fine...time for a sleep. Melissa can look after the baby while we're sleeping and Deaton can tell the rest of the pack about what's going on, although they probably already know."

"Yeah...they do," Derek nodded, "Ethan is on the phone to Aidan right now to tell Erica and Boyd and Aidan the good news."

"See, nothing left to do...even the baby thinks it's nap time," Melissa pointed out, and Stiles smiled, looking at his new baby, who had stopped suckling, and had fallen asleep curled on Stiles chest.

"I'll get him, it's okay...you two go to sleep." Melissa instructed gently picking the baby up, blankets and all, and carrying him over to the waiting bassinet and settling him down in there. Derek and Stiles had both been draping the basinet with their clothing in the lead up to their baby's arrival, to make sure that it smelt like them. The baby stirred, making a few soft cries, before he fell asleep again, settled in the bassinet. Stiles, unable to fight his exhaustion any more, snuggled down as comfortably as his aching body would allow and let his eyes slide shut.

Sleep came almost instantaneously.

TEEN WOLF

Leaning against the door that led into the bathroom attached to his and Derek's bedroom, Stiles watched as Derek quietly walked around the room, their newborn son cradled in his large arms, talking quietly to him, whispering soft reassurances and promises and declarations of love. Stiles knew that Derek already knew he was there, but he still couldn't bring himself to speak, didn't want to end the moment between Derek and their four and a half hour old baby.

Stiles had slept for most of those four and a half hours, only woken by gnawing hunger and the deep rumbling of his stomach. It was understandable, Stiles hadn't eaten much for dinner the night before, and he had only drunk water while everyone else had been having breakfast, since he'd felt like he was going to throw up. Now though his appetite was back in full force.

The first thing Stiles had heard once he'd woken up, aside from the grumbling of his stomach, was the soft noise of Derek breathing, the Alpha werewolf had been sound asleep at Stiles' side, although he'd obviously woken up while Stiles was in the shower.

"Hey...feel better now?" Derek asked Stiles softly, and Stiles smiled and nodded.

"Still a bit sore, but nothing a few days of good rest will do," he admitted, knowing that there was no point in lying...Derek would know right away. Besides, the lingering aching pain was no-where near as bad as what it had been last time around.

"That's good...do you want to have a hold?"

"Of course," Stiles beamed, crossing across the room to where Derek was standing and carefully taking the sleeping baby from his mate's arms. Once Derek had his hands free he cupped Stiles' cheeks and kissed him,deeply.

"I love you, Stiles," Derek said once he pulled away.

Stiles beamed at Derek, "I love you too."

The baby chose that moment to let out a whimper, his feet kicking within the blankets he was warmly wrapped him.

"And I love you too, little munchkin," Stiles added, glancing down at the little baby in his arms.

"Speaking of size, Melissa weighed him while we were asleep. He's about the same weight as Jackson was at birth." Derek told Stiles, before he ducked into the bathroom for his own shower

"So, either Jackson was big, considering he was a couple of weeks early, and he was sharing the space with four others, or this little guys is small, considering he was full term and was on his own." Stiles reasoned, although he knew from his research that it was a combination of factors. He'd been sick early on this time around after all, which couldn't have helped. His doctor had warned him of the possibility of the baby's size being affected by Stiles being so sick early on, although subsequent scans had shown that the baby had been within the range of what was considered to be healthy.

Stiles walked across the room and sat on the bed, which had been cleaned up while he was in the shower, still cradling the newest addition to the family in his arms gazing in wonder at the life he and Derek had created.

"You're so adorable, you know little guy, and you're so perfect," Stiles told his son, "Your papa and your daddy love you very much, you know that, right? Your papa is a little bit grumpy sometimes, but he's a big softy...but don't tell him I told you that. You've got three big brothers and two big sisters that are going to love you and fuss over you as well...Scotty, Jackson, Cora, Lyds and Isaac are all so different, and you'll be different from them too, and we'll always love you, no matter what. You've come into such a big pack, little pup. You've got Grandad and Nanna Melissa who will love you to bits and will spoil you, and Uncle Danny, Uncle Ethan, Uncle Aidan and Uncle Boyd, and Auntie Erica, and Creepy Great Uncle Peter and you've got Deaton and Chris and little Allie, and they'll all protect you and help look after you, and you'll have the rest of the pack watching over you from Heaven, and your grandma as well, and they'll look after you too."

The baby gurgled and let out a happy little noise, and Stiles smiled. Now that he was more awake and alert, he could tell that Derek was right. The baby in his arms already physically took more after Stiles than any of his siblings did at birth. Stiles could already see his facial structure on the little baby, his nose, his chin, his mouth...and wasn't that going to be interesting?

"Had you thought of a name?" Derek asked as he exited the bathroom, his hair wet from his shower, dressed in a clean shirt and pants. Stiles glanced up at his mate for a moment, before he went back to looking at their new son.

They'd thought of names together, making suggestions to one another and building a short list of possible first names and middle names for both boys and girls, because Stiles hadn't wanted to know and Derek had gone along with Stiles wishes. It had been easier this time, with only needing one set of names, but they still had not settled on a boy's name and a girl's name before Stiles went into labor. Silently, Derek got out the short list that they'd compiled together, and sat on the bed beside Stiles, opening it out so Stiles could see, in case he'd forgotten any of the options.

"What about Liam?" Stiles suggested. Liam had been a name that Derek had suggested months ago, and they'd both liked the sound of it, so it had been put on the short list. Looking at the baby, Stiles knew in his aching gut that Liam was the right choice. Derek nodded approvingly at Stiles' choice, the wolf within him howling it's support of the choice."

"For a middle name, what about Alexander? Liam Alexander Hale." Stiles offered, a little more hesitantly. Alexander had been the name of one of Derek's cousins, the youngest victim of the Hale fire, the infant son of Talia and Peter's younger sister and her husband.

"it's perfect" Derek nodded with a smile on his face. In Stiles' arms, Liam kicked, gurgling happily, as he too liked the sound of his name.

"Hello Liam," Stiles cooed, "You are adorable, you know that?" Liam only gurgled in reply, before he gave a wide yawn.

"The big wide world is very tiring, you're one hundren percent right," Stiles agreed conversationally, and Derek snorted.

"I forgot that you talked to them this much," he commented. Stiles simply shrugged.

"I talk alot most of the time...why would now be any different?"

"True," Derek conceded, "Do you want to go show him to your dad. Do you think you can handle the stairs?"

"I should be okay if you're holding Liam so I can hold onto the rail if I need to," Stiles replied. Derek nodded and Stiles passed Liam over to Derek, who tucked Liam securely into the crook of his arm, before he stood up and offered his free hand to Stiles to help him get up. Stiles winced as the movement involved in sitting up pulled on his abused abdominal muscles, but he managed to get upright.

Together, Stiles and Derek walked from the room, Liam cradled in his Papa's arms. They walked slowly, Stiles still not fully recovered from Liam's arrival into the world. Eventually they reached the stairs, and found Ethan waiting their patiently. It remained unspoken how the Beta had wordlessly volunteered to help Stiles down the stairs, since Derek wouldn't be able to do it and cradle Liam at the same time.

Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, Stiles, Derek and Ethan turned towards the den. Stiles smiled when he spotted his dad standing in the doorway that lead to the den, Danny right beside him, with tears shining in their eyes and on their cheeks. Melissa and Peter were further back in the room.

"Hey dad, do you wanna say hello to your newest grandson?' Stiles asked as Derek transferred Liam back into Stiles' arms, before he put his arm around Stiles' shoulders and guided him into the room.

The Sherriff and Danny stepped back to let them in, but once Stiles was positioned in his spot on the couch, the approached him and Derek, Melissa and Danny more cautiously that Stiles dad. Werewolf Alphas were known to be a little picky about who spent time with their children when they were less than a few weeks old. Derek, however, sat beside Stiles, his posture relaxed, so Danny, with Ethan and Melissa close behind, approached so they could see Liam better. Stiles adjusted the blanket so that Liam was more visible, although Liam had been lulled to sleep by the motion of being carried while his parents walked.

'He looks like you already," Stiles heard his father say, and he nodded.

'Derek said the same thing," he whispered.

"He's pretty cute," Danny agreed, "the kids are going to love him."

"Yeah, they will," Derek nodded in agreement.

"So...did you guys give him a name?" Stiles' dad asked. Derek and Stiles exchanged a glance, surprised that Danny hadn't been able to persuade Ethan to tell him the moment Stiles and Derek settled on a name.

"Yeah, what's his name?" Danny asked eagerly, confirming the fact that somehow Ethan had been able to resist Danny's charms.

"I thought it was your secret to tell," Ethan explained, and Peter merely shrugged as he dcame over to glance at the new pup, a feigned look of disinterest on his face, although Derek and Stiles could both see through it. Peter was just as excited as everyone else was to meet the new pup.

"This is Liam. Liam Alexander Hale." Stiles introduced, planting a gentle kiss to Liam's forehead, before Derek did the same, kissing Stiles as well.

"Liam...it suits him. I'm so proud of you guys," Stiles' dad said, wiping tears from his eyes, which Melissa wiped away with her thumbs.

"Do you want to have a hold, dad?" Stiles offered, and the Sherriff nodded, his arms trembling a little as Stiles passed the blanket rapped bundle that was his new grandson over to him.

"I wonder if you're going to be like Stiles in other ways other than looks. You might be my opportunity for revenge, kid. You have no idea the sort of stuff your daddy put me through over the years."

"The teachers at school are probably already dreading the prospect of Stiles' kids being in their classes." Danny added teasingly. Ethan's phone began to vibrate in his pocket at that moment, and he quickly left the room to answer it without disturbing Liam's sleep.

"Anything wrong?" Stiles asked Derek, who shook his head.

"The others are leaving Erica and Boyd's house now," he said, eavesdropping on Ethan's' conversation.

"You hear that, buddy, you get to meet your big brothers and sisters soon," Danny told Liam, "They're a bit excitable sometimes, but they're good kids."

"They're half Stiles', of course they're excitable...it's just more noticeable because they've got werewolf levels of energy." Peter pointed out. Derek nudged Peter warningly with his foot, and Peter got the hint not to push things

"I might go wait outside, try and slow them down before they get into the house and come in here," Derek commented, and Stiles nodded.

"That might be a good idea, I have no idea how they managed to keep them away this long, they're usually well and truly awake from their nap by now."

"Erica and Boyd took them to the park this morning and stared a game of tag...for about three hours straight," Danny told them with a grin, and Derek snorted.

"That would slow them down a bit." Stiles grinned jokingly.

"Do you think they'll go to bed early tonight?" Ethan asked, having finished his phone call to his brother.

Derek, Stiles and Danny all looked at one another, before they shook their heads.

'No way," Danny laughed quietly.

"Not a chance in hell," Stiles agreed

"Only in my dreams," added Derek with a roll of his eyes. Even Peter had a wry smile on his face as Ethan laughed.

"Yeah, I didn't think so."

Stiles' dad and Melissa watched the whole exchange with amusement written across their faces, although they were a little preoccupied by cooing over Liam, still safely snuggled in his grandfather's arms.

It didn't take long for the sound of Boyd and Aidan's cars coming up the driveway reached the ears of the werewolves. Derek kissed Stiles on the forehead, before doing the same to Liam, and heading outside, Ethan following him out. Stiles watched Derek leave the den, a weary smile on his face.

"Here you go, Stiles, I think he wants his daddy," Melissa said, breaking Stiles out of his trance, offering Liam to him carefully. Stiles gently took Liam from Melissa's arms, having not even noticed that his dad had passed Liam to her so he could help Derek and Ethan slow down the older pups.

Liam whined softly in his sleep, and Stiles snuggled him close to his chest, the baby werewolf quietening down as he breathed in Stiles' scent, reassured by the familiar scent. Even Stiles could hear the approaching cars now, and he smiled at the prospect of seeing his children again. Having all of his children there, all six of them, as well as the entire pack...it would make everything perfect.

Stiles listened as the cars stopped outside the house, closely followed by car doors opening and shutting. Stiles could already hear the joyful yelling of his children, Jackson, Scott and Lydia being the loudest.

It didn't take long, however, for the voices to quieten down, and for the front door to reopen. Stiles craned his neck to see his family, breaking into a broad grin when he spotted Derek, carrying Isaac and Jackson in his arms, with Scott's arms securely wrapped around Derek's neck, their eldest dangling down Derek's back. Stiles' dad was carrying Lydia, while Cora was walking along side Boyd. The pups all had wide, excited eyes that fixed on Stiles, or rather, the blanket wrapped bundle that he was cradling.

"Daddy," Scott squealed in excitement, letting go and sliding quickly down Derek's back, causing Melissa to let out a worried gasp. Cora was already running towards Stiles, and Derek and John quickly let the others down, reminding them quietly not to be too quick or noisy.

"Remember, be gentle with Daddy," Melissa added as Cora approached the couch, looking very much like she was about to jump on top of Stiles. Slowly and Carefully, Stiles shifted so that he was sitting up on the couch, instead of lying on it, making room for the pups to climb up onto the couch. Ever the leader Scott was the first to scramble up, closely followed by the rest of them.

"Hey, guys, this is your new baby brother, Liam," Stiles introduced in a whisper. The pups were nearly silent as they collectively laid eyes on their baby brother for the first time.

"He's little," Jackson offered after a pause

"So were you," Derek told them, sitting down on the opposite end of the couch.

"He'll get bigger, though," Lydia told them all confidently.

Stiles nodded in agreement, "of course he will. Do you think you guys might be able to help look after him and keep him safe? Keep him out of too much trouble?"

"Yes Daddy," Scott nodded, utter conviction within his voice. Stiles immediately knew that Despite Liam being two years younger than the others, he'd been accepted into Scott's mini pack. Scott would do anything in his power to protect and look after his brother, just like he did with the rest of his sibling. Stiles glanced over the top of the pups, to Derek, who was smiling with pride filled eyes, before he cast his eyes over the rest of the pack, all of them watching their alpha and his family.

In that precise moment contentment washed over Stiles. He and his mate had six healthy, perfect werewolf pups, and a supportive pack around them. They had a long standing peace with the hunters, and with other werewolf packs. There was no apparent danger lying in wait.

Everything was simply perfect.


End file.
